


While the Incursions conquered

by LunaFlammata



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben probably needs therapy honestly, Fluff, Mild starvation, No Beta we die like Feedback, Set during The Frogs of War, Set in Omniverse, The Tennysons are good parents, but it's fine, everyone's probably OOC, like seriously, this is just angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29416029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaFlammata/pseuds/LunaFlammata
Summary: What exactly happened once the Incursions exiled Ben from Earth?AKA: I re-watched the Frogs of War and chose angst
Relationships: None
Kudos: 13





	While the Incursions conquered

His stomach rumbled hungrily, and Ben licked his chapped lips. How long had it been since the Incursions had sent him off in this God-forsaken pod? He didn’t know the layout of the galaxy particularly well, but he had to have been on the outer edges by now. That would mean he had spent at least a week in the pod, probably more. Come to think of it, how was he even still alive? The pod probably had some life support features to keep him from dying of thirst or hunger. Milleous definitely wanted him to suffer for as long as possible.

He tugged at the manacles holding his wrists in place. Nothing happened, but then again, he hadn’t really expected it to work. He had been trying for days now. His eyes began drifting closed, and quickly, he dug his nails into the palm of his hand. He couldn’t fall asleep, not now. If he did, Ben wasn’t sure he would ever wake up. Weakly, he raised his leg, and kicked at the window on the front of his pod. It didn’t give. He was panting, out of breath from the small effort he had expended. He watched as he drifted past yet another solar system, hoping futility, and somewhat cynically, that someone would realize he was floating out here. No one came. With a sigh, Ben’s eyelids began to droop once again, and this time, he succumbed to the exhaustion.

Ben woke with a start, gasping for air. He was hungry. God he was so hungry. That didn’t make sense though. Hadn’t he eaten dinner before he went to bed? It didn’t seem like him to forget to eat. Even when he had been fighting the Highbreed, he had always made a point of eating before he went to bed, even if it was just to satisfy Gwen. His arms were sore. Why were they so sore? He tried to sit up, but suddenly, he realized he was standing. Well, not really. Something was suspending him upright, but he was so exhausted. He wasn’t even sure if his feet were touching the ground.

Why was he so tired?

Maybe he had gotten into a fight last night. Yeah, that made sense. He didn’t usually wake up this sore though. He was used to taking a beating everyday by now. Most fights didn’t even leave bruises anymore. He strained to remember who he had been fighting. He usually remembered most of the battles that left him this sore. God, his arms were so tired. He tried to pull them down to his sides, but cold metal pressed into his wrists. He ran his hands over the thick metal rings, but bit back a cry of pain. He glanced up towards where his hands were suspended, and saw that his palms were a mess of small red cuts, all crescent shaped. Had he been digging his nails into his palms again? He thought he had kicked that habit long ago.

Two thick metal rings circled around his wrists, holding them above his head securly. A thin golden branch connected spread out above him, connecting the two cuffs that held his wrists in place. Had he been captured? That would explain why he was so tired. He had probably been captured. Suddenly, a flash of light caught his attention. His head snapped towards, and he saw a small circular window in front of him. He scanned the view, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. It was dark outside, and small flecks of silver and gold and blue decorated the black expanse. “Where am I?” Ben slurred. “What happened?” His voice was so weak. He didn’t want to admit how much he hated it when that happened. Distantly, he wondered when the last time he had anything to drink was. His throat was so sore.

Suddenly, the memories came rushing back, and he remembered where he was. He muttered a curse under his breath, and desperately, he pulled at the manacles that held him in place. He needed to get out of here. Gwen needed him. Kevin needed him. Rook needed him. Grandpa Max needed him. He kicked furiously at the window at the front of his pod. None of it worked though. None of it had worked no matter how many times he tried to escape. Defeated, he slumped back down and sighed dejectedly. “Well, universe,” he said bitterly. “I don’t usually say this, but at least things couldn't get any worse.” Suddenly, an alarm went off from somewhere inside the pod, and a cloud of mist flooded his face. Ben cursed, knowing all too well what the mist was a sign of. “I hate you universe,” he muttered, desperately pulling at his restraints.

Above him, he heard a faint clicking coming from the manacle on his left arm. He glanced up to see a locking mechanism attached to it, just out of his reach. He pulled at the metal ring some more, and was surprised to see it twisting slightly towards the “unlocked” side. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from whooping with joy. He was still trapped in a failing pod. His eyes darted around, scanning the pod for something he could use to unlock his cuffs. His gaze fell on a thin pipe, running the length of the pod. It was worth a shot.

He lunged for it, and his teeth sunk into the metal. It was surprisingly soft, and gave way before him. Good, that would make it easier to rip the pip free. Ben yanked his head back, and the pipe came with it. Quickly, he readjusted his grip and maneuvered it towards the locking mechanism. He pushed the pipe upwards, until the mechanism gave away. A few seconds later, he had pushed it towards the “unlocked” side, and the manacles released. “One step down,” he muttered, pulling his arms down gratefully. He turned his attention to the Omnitrix. “Now to get out of here.”

Quickly he entered the code he knew by heart. A moment passed, and Ben realized he should probably work on finding a way to open the pod. He’d still need to wait to be rescued. Even if Alien X could survive literal space, he wouldn’t be the most useful alien right now. Suddenly, light flooded his vision, and he could feel the universe itself outside folding over as it made way for the ship that had suddenly appeared.

The chrome hull gleamed brightly, and small green markings lined the side of the ship. It always reminded Ben of Upgrade. He smiled as he recognized the Galvin ship. “Thank God,” he whispered. The tractor beam caught hold of his pod, and he was sucked into the hold of the ship. A group of Galvanic Mechamorphs caught hold of his pod, and set it down on the ground gently. Ben blinked at the sudden bright light, but he drank it in thirstily. It was so much better than the endless black of space. People were shouting above him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the noise. He had forgotten how loud things were. “Careful!” A bossy voice called out. Ben immediately relaxed. “Azmuth,” he croaked. “Don’t worry, Benjamin,” then Galvin assured. “We’ll have you out of that pod in a minute. Just sit tight.” Ben nodded, his eyes still closed. “Thank goodness you’re okay!” Azmuth muttered, but Ben was already fading into unconsciousness.

Ben’s eyes fluttered open to find that he was laying in a gurney. The metal walls around him were whitewashed, and he squinted against the bright industrial light. He must have been in the ship’s infirmary. He sighed in relief and sank back into the pillows that were piled up beneath his head. He immediately sat back up though as his stomach growled in hunger. He glanced around, and saw a young Galvin nurse bustling around in one of the cabinets. “Hey,” he said. His voice was still weak, but he no longer felt nearly as thirsty as he had in that damn pod. “Do you have anything I could eat?” The nurse startled, nearly dropping the tray of medicines she had been organizing. “Oh, you’re awake,” she said once she realized it was Ben who had spoken. “I’ll go tell Azmuth. He’ll want to talk to you. And I’ll tell him to bring something to eat,” the nurse said with a wink. Ben nodded in thanks, and the nurse scampered out of the room. Ben sank back down onto the bed.

A few minutes later, Azmuth appeared in the doorway, a bowl nearly twice as big as he was clutched in his hands. The Galvin scientist set it down on the edge of Ben’s bed and clambered up himself a moment later. “I figured you might be hungry,” Azmuth said, voice as matter-of-fact as always. “I know it’s not the kind of cuisine you usually eat, but it was the best I could find.” Ben dug into the food gratefully. “Slow down, Benjamin!” Azmuth scolded. “You’ll make yourself sick!” “Sorry,” Ben said, mouth full. Azmuth’s gaze softened. “How are you feeling?” “Does it matter?” Ben asked, wiping his mouth. He set the bowl aside gently. “As long as I can walk, I can fight. I need to get back to Earth.” He pulled his sheets off, and swung his legs over the bed before Azmuth stopped him.

“Benjamin, you can’t go off into this half-cocked. You need a plan,” the scientist said gently. Ben gritted his teeth. “I know, Azmuth. But we don’t have the time. My friends need me. My family needs me.” “Yes, they do,” Azmuth said firmly. “And I hate the Incursions just as much as you do. They deserve to pay for what they did to you.” Ben’s brow furrowed in frustration, but he didn’t protest. He knew Azmuth was right. Didn’t mean he had to like it though. “Besides, even if you did have a plan, you are in no condition to fight,” Azmuth continued. Ben opened his mouth to protest, but the Galvin interrupted him. “Benjamin, you were trapped in that pod for over two weeks with no food or water. You need to rest.”

Reluctantly, Ben laid back down. “Can we at least brainstorm some kind of plan?” he asked, annoyed. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing while Earth gets conquered.” Azmuth sighed reluctantly. “I have an idea, but it’s risky.” “What is it?” Ben asked. “I could unlock the incursion DNA stored within your Omnitrix, and you could infiltrate the invasion force,” Azmuth continued. “What’s the catch?” Ben said tiredly. Azmuth hesitated, but then he said, “I would have to enable the lifeform-lock.” “I’ll do it,” the teenager said.

Azmuth sighed tiredly. Even he had to admit he had known that was going to be Ben’s answer though. “Fine,” he conceded reluctantly. “But you may not go back to Earth until you’ve had a least a day’s worth of rest.” Ben began to protest, but Azmuth whacked him on the head lightly. “You will only get yourself killed if you try to take on an entire army in this state. And what use will you be to anyone if you’re dead?” There was silence for a moment, but then Ben laid back down in submission. Azmuth was right. He needed rest. “You have anything else to eat?” he asked. “Yes,” Azmuth replied. “I’ll get you some more later. I don’t want you to eat too much too soon and make yourself sick. Now get some sleep Ben.”

Ben unlocked the door with shaking hands. Why was this so hard? He had only been gone a month. He had faced a lot worse than the stupid Incursion invasion. Returning to normal life shouldn’t be this nerve-wracking. Suddenly, he heard the latch catch and the door swung open. Ben tensed before realizing it was just his father who had opened the door. “Sorry I scared you Ben,” his dad said. “It just sounded like you were having trouble with the lock. How you feeling?” Ben’s shoulders sagged in exhaustion. “Dad,” he said. His father pulled him into a quick hug, and led him into the house.

The living room was exactly how he remembered it, the couch laid out along the back wall, the TV facing it, the two end tables by the kitchen doorway. It was weird how much he had missed something that simple. He didn’t really understand why being back home was hitting him so hard. He had faced so much worse. His mom was sitting on the couch, folding laundry nervously. Her head snapped up at the sound of her husband’s footsteps.

“Ben!” she exclaimed, rushing over to him. She quickly checked him over for any sign of injury. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine, Mom,” Ben assured her. “Are you sure? I saw the fight with those big aliens earlier. Those ones are the Way Bigs, right?” Ben nodded. “I’m fine, Mom. Seriously,” he said. “Rook and Kevin mostly took care of the Way Bads anyways. I was negotiating with Milleous. Not a whole lot of fighting.” “Well that went well, didn’t it?” his father asked, beginning to fold the rest of the laundry. Ben’s brow furrowed. “Yeah. At least, I think it did. Attea’s empress now. I honestly don’t know if that’ll be better or worse though.” “Well,” his mom interjected, helping her husband with the laundry. “We don’t need to worry about that right now. I’m just glad you’re home.”

At those words, something inside Ben cracked. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His parents looked up at him in confusion. “What are you sorry for?” his Mom asked gently. “I’m sorry I didn’t say good-bye. I-I tried. I really did. I asked Milleous. I begged Attea...but I guess they just wanted me off-planet as soon as possible. I’m so sorry I didn’t try harder,” he sobbed. “Ben, what are you talking about. That doesn’t matter. We know you care about us,” his dad said. “Besides,” his mom interjected. “You didn’t have a choice. We knew you’d come back to us.”

Ben shook his head ruefully. “No, I wouldn’t have. Milleous meant for me to die. It was dumb luck Azmuth was looking for me. I’m just glad Grandpa and Gwen drilled the Omnitrix’s emergency code into me.” He paused, sinking into the couch cushions. “I-I would have died without telling you guys good-bye. I’m so sorry.” There was a moment of silence, but then his parents pulled him into a hug. They didn’t have to say anything. Ben didn’t want them to anyways. He just wanted to be home.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, seriously. There is canonically a month between the end of Frogs of War pt. 1 and 2. Ben was trapped in that pod for a while. How did he not die of hunger or thirst?
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed!


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